Brush gatherer



Aug. 1s, 1925. I 1,550,543

Hf. H. HALLENBECK ET AL BRUSH GATHEREH 4 4Filed May 16I 1925 I i t www,

Patented ug. 18, 1925.

`UNITED ls'rA'irs l. g 1,550,543 PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD H. HALLENBECK AND VLEE D. BROWN, F GREENPORT, NEW YORK.

BRUSH GATHERER.

To all 107mm it 'may concern.'

Be it known that we, HAROLD H. I-IALLEN* BECK and LEE D. Bnowmcitizeiis ofthe United States, residing in the town of Greenport, in the county of Columbia and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inY Brush Gatherers, of which lthe'following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to brush gatherers and more particularlyto a gathering attachment for tractors. I

`form of supporting means whereby the gathering attachment may bejcarried by a tractor or the like.

. when the arms thereofcome in contact withA A further'object is tof provide a device of the above mentioned character providedu with means for efl'ectually gathering large quantities of brush, the attachment being adapted to move upwardly or downwardly at its'forward end to accommodate itself to unevenness as on the surface of the ground.

A further object is to provide attaching means 'whereby the attachment is adapted to partake of limited transverse movement stones or the like. f Y

Other objects and advantages of the in-` vention will become-apparent during the course ofthe following description.

In the drawings Ihave shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing in placevon a tractor,

Figure 2 is aside elevation of the same,

' are crossed as shown m Figure lvand are and,

Figure 3 is a perspectiveview of the gathering attachment.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a tractor of any ordinary construction having front and rear axles 11 and 12 respectively. The front axle is provided with the usual steering wheels 13 while the rear axle is provided with traction wheels or other traction elements 14.

The attachment forming the subject matter of the present invention comprisesa pair of arms 15 which contact at their rear ends and diverge outwardly at their forward Figure 1 is a plan view of the attachment `VApplication led May 16, 1925. Serial No. 30,794.

ends as shown. -A block 16 is secured to the rear ends of the arms 15 and isprovided with a .central aperture 17 for a purpose to be described. The forward ends of the arms 15 ar@J tapered as at 18 at their sides and are curved at their bottom portions as at 19 whereby they terminate substantially in a point 20.

' A cross arm' 21 issecured to the arms 15 intermediate their ends, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3. The crossvarm is provided with eyelets 22 for a purpose to be described. The cross arm is provided atopposite ends with relatively short arms 23 which are secured against the upper face of the cross arm, as shown. The arms 23 are preferably provided with substantially pointed forward ends 24. The `cross arm is further provided with similar relatively short arms 25 arranged intermediate the arms 15 and 23 and secured against the lower face of the cross arm 21, as shown. The. arms 25 are .also tapered substantially to points 26 at their forward ends, the lower faces of the arms being curved downwardly and forwardly as at 27.

Means are provided for properly attach? ing the gathering attachment just described to an ordinary tractor. The block 16 is adapted to be arranged adjacent the central `portion of the. axle housing 12 and a bolt 27 passes through a portion of the axle housing and through the aperture 17 to pivotally support Vthe rear endsof the arms 15. The bolt 27 is provided with a nut 28 and preferably loosely'fits within the aperture 17 to permit slight vertical movement ofthe forward end of the attachment as well as a KAswinging movement in a horizontal plane.-

Claims 29 .are connected atv their rear and upper ends vto the front axle 11 as at 30. The forward and lower ends of the chains secured to the eyes 22, as shown in Figure 1. The operation of the device is as follows: Then the trees of an orchard are trimmed, the cuttings are permitted to fall ydownwardly to the ground where they reslightly spaced above the ground. It will be apparent that if the forward ends of the arms 15 contact with any raised portions of the ground, the arms will be lifted slightly to allow the arms to slide over the obstruc tions. This is also true of the arms 25, the curved portions :2T permitting these arms to ride upwardly over the obstructions. Owing to the loose connection between the bolt 2T and block 16, the arms 15 may partake of lateral movement within relatively small limits. frccordingly if the forward ends of the arms 15 contact with a stone or thelilre the arms may swing .slightly to one side or the other to permit the forward ends of the arms to pass the obstructions. The chains 29, however, are adapted to prevent the arms 15 from contacting with the wheels. The arrangement of the arms 23 and 25 above and below the cross arm 21 provides more effectual engagement with the brush, preventing` the latter from sliding rearwardly or laterally from the attachment.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described may be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the sha-pe, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described our invention, we claim 1 1. A brush gatherer comprising a pair of forwardly diverging arms connected together at their rear ends, means for` loosely supporting the rear ends of said arms beneath the rear end of a tractor, and means for loosely connecting said arms intermediate their ends to the forward end of the tractor, the forward ends of said arms project-- ing a material distance forwardly' of the tractor.

2. A brush gatherer comprising a pair of forwardly diverging arms connected together at their rear ends, means Yfor loosely supporting the rear ends of said arms beneath the rear end of a tractor, and means for loosely connecting said arms intermediate their ends to the forward end of the tractor, the forward ends of said arms projecting a material distance forwardly of the tractor and being adapted to rest upon the ground, the under .sides of said arms being curved upwardly adjacent their forward ends and terminating in pointed forward ends.

3. A brush gatherer comprising a pair of forwardly diverging arms adapted to be arranged beneath a tractor, a block carried by the rear ends of said arms and provided with an aperture, a bolt carried by said tractor and loosely engaging within said aperture, and means for loosely connecting said arms intermediate their ends to the forward end of the tractor, the forward ends of said arms projecting a material distance forwardly of the tractor.

4. A device constructed in accordance with claim 3 wherein the means for loosely connecting said arm-s to the forward end of the tractor comprises a pair of crossed flexible elements connected at one end to the front axle of the tractor and at the opposite end to said arms.

5. A brush gatherer comprising a pair of forwardly diverging arms, means for loosely connecting said arms to the front and rear axles of a tractor, the forward ends of said arms projecting a material distance forwardly beyond the tractor, a cross arm secured to said arms and extending outwardly therebeyond, and a plurality of relatively short arms secured to said cross arm and projecting forwardly thereof, said relatively short arms being connected to said cross arm outwardly of said forwardly diverging arm.

6. A device constructed in accordance with claiin wherein themeans' for loosely connecting said first named arms to the front axle of the tractor comprises a pair of crossed chains connected at one end to the axle and at the opposite end to said cross arm.

7. A device constructed in accordance with claim 5 wherein certain of said relatively short arms are arranged above said cross arm, the others of said relatively short arms being arranged below said cross aim.

Tn testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

HAROLD H. HALLENBECK. LEE D. BROVN. 

